Butte semi-weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1886-1890, 1887-12-21

THE EUROPEAN CRISIS.
The news from Berlin in yesterdays issue
is Indicative of the high tension to which
feeling is wrought in both Germany and
Austria. The explanatory article in the
St. Petersburg Military Gazette has de.
ceived no one. In the Reichstag, the ut
most patriotism prevails, the Govern.
ment's measures are passed with enthu-
siasm, and that body will respond readily
to all the demands of the Government.
Once the patriotic chord in the German
heart is touched by the presence OF a Zoe
menacing the Fatherland, discussions are
forgotten and %jealousies are laid aside.
Nothing is permitted to interfere with the
most abundant preparations to defend the
integrity OF the Empire. In Austria a SINH.
lar feeling of readiness to supply the Gov
eminent with the necessary resources is dis
played, actuated by the pressing need OF
immediate action, owing to the neglected
condition into which frontier defences have
been permitted to degenerate. The posi-
bility that the ball may open in a couple of
months is freely talked OF, and the chances
of peace are at present reduced to q mini.
num-.
It is hardly possible that, in event of the
allies attacking Russia, France will remain
a disinterested spectator of the conflict in
the East. The opportunity to which her
people have looked for the recapture Of the
provinces of Alsace and Lorraine will then
arrive. Boulanger's words declining the
offer of a seat in the Chamber OF Deputies,
that the time was near when France would
have more need OF generals than deputies,
were prophetically significant. They could
have no meaning in view Of any danger
threatening France. They could only
apply to the near approach Of that oppor-
tunity for which France has been prepar-
ing for fifteen years-the outbreak Of war
between Germany and Russia, when, with
her attention distracted on her eastern
frontier, Germany would only be able to
turn a divided attention to her western
border. The approaching conflict. If it
materializes, will involve the principal
nations of Europe in the greatest war since
the days of Napoleon the First. The Peace
Alliance between Germany, Austria and
Italy was an alliance in which the three
powers bound themselves to assist each
other in caseof than attack on either. Italy
will therefore be compelled to take q hand,
and if France moves on Germany, without
doubt Italy will be obliged to throw her
troops into the fight in defence OF her allies.
The activity OF Russian movements of
late years in the Black Sea has had one
object in view-readiness to make Constan.
tinople the objective point OF the most
powerful attack Russia has yet made on
that object of her ambition. That this is
known and apprehended is seen from the
information in yesterdays dispatches that
German engineers are supervising the ex-
tension OF the Notifications on the
Bosphorus. The most jealous secrecy has
been observed by the Russians in the work
in which they have been engaged of putting
their Black Sea ports into a condition Of
preparedness. They are known to be in
perfect condition of defence and the rest Of
Europeis well aware that Russia has utterly
ignored all treaty obligations requiring her
to abstain from building up a feet in the
Black Sea. Far from this, her shipyards
there have been constantly busy in prepar-
alton for such q crisis as the present, and
at the first overture Of hostilities a power
full Russian feet may be depended upon to
make it's appearance without delay In front
OF Copstaptipople. Turkey will thus b In